Legend Of The Dragon Hearts
by Atlantic Jewel
Summary: Sequel to The Young Lady Of Legends. Rebels seek to restore Ozai to power, and need a certain Priestess named Emma. She has no idea the rebels are hunting her, but will Zuko - her soul-mate - let them do it? And will he be with his Emma at last? ZxOC
1. A Day In The Life Of Zuko

AVATAR

Legend Of The Dragon Hearts

_Sequel to The Young Lady Of Legends. Rebels seek to restore Ozai to power, and need a certain Priestess named Emma. She has no idea the rebels are hunting her, but will Zuko - her soul-mate - let them do it? And will he be with his Emma at last? ZxOC_

_O~O~O~O_

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

**Hello.**

**Did you really think I would just leave it at that unbelievable cliff-hanger back in The Young Lady Of Legends? Did you think I would leave you all desperately hanging by your fingernails from that crumbling ravine wall which towers over the bottomless pit at the edge of the earth? You know the one, we used to visit it at the end of God knows how many chapters? I love that place…**

**Anyway…**

**So, for those of you who I've met before, you need no introduction but, just in case you've forgotten what's been going on, here's a quick refresher.**

**For those of you who just randomly clicked into this story, unless you've got no desire whatsoever to read the nail-biting page-turner (clicker?) that is "The Young Lady Of Legends", then don't read after the next question mark, because I'm about to recap that entire sixty-two chapter fan-fic in the space of a few short paragraphs!**

**Ready?**

_O~O~O~O_

A hundred years ago, Fire Lord Sozin started a world war, that pitted the Fire Nation against the other three nations – the EarthKingdom, the Water Tribe and the Air Nomads. He used the power of a comet to destroy the Air Nomads, and so began a century-long war…

Only the powerful Avatar, capable of bending all four elements, could stop the Fire Nation. But, before the war began, the young Airbender known as Aang disappeared, freezing himselfinto a block of ice, and awakened a hundred years later by two Water Tribe siblings, Katara and Sokka…

BOOK ONE:

_Water – The Lunar Sea_

Emma was a seemingly ordinary girl from a world where the story of the powerful Avatar was told only in cartoon shows and a movie she'd just bought, much to the anger of her parents. Emma was a shy and emotional young lady, with low self-confidence that affected her abilities to find a job. This aggravated her parents, and she found herself in a rut. Whilst crying about the state of her stressful, jobless life, Emma was unaware that the Goddesses of a mystical and sacred realm were watching her, and that the very prince she called her favourite character was, in fact, real! Zuko had just failed to capture the Avatar and, in a moment of remembering a legend his Mother had once told him, said Emma's name, along with the title of Priestess! At the same time, she said his name, calling him Prince Zuko and, in that instant, was transported to the world of the Avatar, literally falling into the young Prince's life!

Zuko agreed to let Emma stay on his ship, although the two of them argued like there was no tomorrow, much to the amusement of Zuko's wise Uncle Iroh. Iroh was travelling with Zuko, who had been burned and banished by his Father, the warlord fighting against the rest of the world! Emma began learning martial arts from Uncle Iroh and, during an unplanned stop-over on KyoshiIsland where she trained with a warrior named Suki, discovered that she was a Bender gifted with the nature of Water! Emma also happened upon Yang-Chong, who hatched from a golden egg that she won in a singing contest. The stubbornly proud and loyal phoenix was almost always by Emma's side, and became her familiar.

It was unclear at first whom Emma really was, but a number of Fire Nation people had their suspicions that she might be a priestess from legends told in the Fire Nation.

Although Emma and Zuko argued, there was an undeniable bond and attraction between the two, evident when Zuko did all he could to protect her from the cruel Fire Nation Admiral, Zhao. When Zhao sent pirates to assassinate Zuko, Emma and Iroh travelled onboard Zhao's ship towards the North Pole, during which time Emma made a new friend (a fiery and confident but _very_ short Firebender named Karai) and Zhao planned to destroy the Moon Spirit to render the enemy Waterbenders powerless. He was stopped, of course, by the young Avatar and his friends, and his life was taken from him, as the Northern Princess Yue gave her own life to become the new Moon Spirit. At the same time, Emma seemingly betrayed Zuko, and decided to join the Avatar Aang in order to help him restore peace to the world. Emma and Yang-Chong joined the spirited Aang and his friends – the righteous Waterbender named Katara and her older brother, Suki's boyfriend Sokka – in their quest. Also accompanying them were Aang's pets – a flying lemur named Momo, and a gigantic flying bison named Appa! Appa was officially the Gaang's mode of transportation, much to Emma's dismay…

The group headed for the EarthKingdom…

BOOK TWO:

_Earth – The Metal Rock_

Whilst en route to find Aang an Earthbending teacher, the "Gaang" got to know their new travelling companion, although there were still a number of things she kept a secret from them. Namely, the fact that she was still in love with the now fugitive Fire Nation Prince! Well, she was still confused about it, and so was he. It didn't help that his sister, Princess Azula, had been sent to take Zuko's place in capturing the Avatar, and proved a cruel and formidable opponent. She had her sights set on the EarthKingdom capital- Ba Sing Se.

On their travels, the Gaang befriended Toph, a blind but very strong young Earth Bender, whom agreed to teach Aang Earthbending as a means of escaping her strict daily life. There were many shaky moments but, eventually, the friendship of the five of them solidified like stone. Emma, however, discovered that she could Earthbend as well as Waterbend, leading her friends to suspect that she might be the Avatar of her own world. Emma remained adamant that she _wasn't_, although her real troubles truly began when she was separated from her friends in a great desert.

Meanwhile, Zuko was struggling to start a new life for himself and Uncle Iroh, although meeting up again with a now-pregnant Karai did help. The Gaang had also lost Appa in the desert, and were forced to travel to Ba Sing Se on foot. They were briefly reunited with Suki, Azula began special Priestess training with her Father's friend Zhu, Zuko met Katara's "ex-boyfriend" Jet and became his friend until Jet discovered that Iroh was a Firebender (and, by extension, that meant that Zuko was, too) and Aang had an emo moment that ended in multiple Sand Sailers being destroyed.

During a horrific moment in her life, Emma was forced to ask the spirits and Goddesses for help. She was able to escape by coming into her full Priestess powers early, although she was told that there would be a price to pay. She accepted it, and everyone eventually found their way to Ba Sing Se where, in a spectacular battle, Princess Azula seized the great EarthKingdom capital for the Fire Nation. The Avatar was mortally wounded, Zuko had betrayed his Uncle and joined his sister, and Emma was once again separated from her friends, and taken back to the Fire Nation…

BOOK THREE:

_Fire – The Spiritual Flame_

As Aang and his friends began their journey in the Fire Nation, Emma was struggling with life in the Fire Nation palace, not as a prisoner…but as a princess. The Fire Lord seemed to have a hidden motive for the young Priestess/Avatar, but she was too busy worrying about the fact that Zuko seemed to have rekindled an old flame with childhood sweetheart Mai!

Heart-broken, but determined not to let the Fire Nation royal family get her down, Emma staged a dramatic jail-break to help Karai and their new friends break free from the Fire Nation prison, and then Emma delivered Karai's twin babies, Aima-Jee and Jet-Lee!

Fire Lord Ozai wasn't as furious as he should have been, and told Emma to go to Ember Island and challenge one of his children to a duel or else he would kill Karai's babies. This all turned out to be part of a much bigger plot, as Emma's "reward" for winning was an engagement to the Fire Lord, to become his Phoenix Queen when he burnt the Earth Kingdom to the ground on the day of the comet! He burned the Fire Nation emblem into her arm, and gave her little to no choice in the matter…

When Zuko found out, he was furious and, due to an argument with Mai that led to a break-up, Zuko apologized to Emma and begged for her forgiveness for hurting her. The two of them began planning to leave the Fire Nation on the day of a solar eclipse. The night before, Ozai attempted to claim Emma as his own, luckily this was interrupted, and Emma fled to the island where Karai and their friends were staying.

On the day of the eclipse, the Gaang invaded, only to find out that Azula had already warned her Father of this plan. They were, happily, reunited with Emma. Later on, Zuko approached them during their stay at the WesternAirTemple, and asked to join them. At first they refused but, when he later saved them from a silent assassin, they agreed to let him stay and teach Aang Firebending, although they were a little confused by his and Emma's friendship.

During this stay at the WesternAirTemple, a few things happened. Aang, Emma and Zuko went to a Sun Warriors Temple, where they learned advanced and ancient Firebending from the last surviving Dragons, and Emma and Zuko received two legendary Dragon Rings that bit them. Sokka found out that Suki was being kept in a Fire Nation prison called Boiling Rock, so he and Zuko went there to save her, were joined by Emma and also rescued Sokka and Katara's Father, Hakoda, and three randoms. Zuko and Emma discovered that they had a special power. Azula turned against her two best friends, Mai and Ty-Lee, and threatened to kill them but didn't. Zuko proposed to Emma, whom accepted, and they discovered that this was called an Eternal Vow. Then, Azula found them, so they were forced to flee.

Aang, Katara, Zuko, Emma, Sokka, Suki, Haru and Toph were camping out, when Emma and Katara got into their first ever argument, causing Emma to start having horrific dreams about the day Katara's Mother, Kya, died. Meanwhile, Katara and Zuko went to hunt down Kya's killer, but Katara didn't kill him. Emma And Katara reconciled. Later, Katara's own Priestess powers allowed her to see the spirit of her Mother.

The Gaang went to EmberIsland, and stayed at the beach house belonging to Zuko's family, as it was the last place anyone would think of to look for them. Zuko's attraction to Emma was intensifying, as was her devotion to him. On the last night of them staying at the island, Emma and Zuko _almost_ gave themselves to each other, but decided against it at the last second. The next morning, Emma and Aang were both gone.

The others searched high and low for them, but to no avail. Not even a bounty hunter named Jun, and her sharp-nosed Shirshu could help them. Toph, Sokka, Haru and Suki decided to take on the Fire Nation air fleets that would attack the EarthKingdom on the day of the powerful comet. Zuko and Katara would take care of Azula. Iroh told his nephew that, when Ozai fell, the Fire Nation would need a strong leader to guide them.

Aang, meanwhile, faced the dilemma of how to win the war without killing the Fire Lord, but a giant Lion-Turtle gave him the answer. He was able to remove the Fire Lord's Firebending. Meanwhile, Emma felt that she needed to go and help Zuko and Katara. Emma used much of her lfie-force to heal a fatally wounded Zuko, as Katara battled hard to subdue Azula. Just then, Azula began using her honed Priestess powers to try and kill them all. Emma and Katara began chanting a counter-spell, as Emma's spirit worked to get through to the troubled Princess.

It worked- but at a cost. Emma had used up all of her life-energy to restore Azula's sanity. She was able to say goodbye to Zuko one last time, before her body shattered into a million points of light and disappeared into the pink light.

Zuko was later crowned as the new Fire Lord, and the world rejoiced at this newfound peace. However, his heart remained heavy and hollow after losing his soul-mate so suddenly.

But, as Aang mentioned to Katara, a True Vow being made means heaven and earth will be shifted to make it so.

Emma and Zuko WILL be together.

The battle is far from finished. It has…only just begun…

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER ONE

A Day In The Life Of Zuko

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

_My heart was filled with pride, and there was a warm glow that hadn't been there for a very long time. I was wearing a set of imperial robes, coloured deep red and gold, and with a fierce dragon on the back embroidered in gold and scarlet. My hair was pulled into a top-know. On my head was a heavy golden crown, and on the fourth finger of my left hand, a white dragon ring with sparkling sapphire blue eyes seemed to weight twice as heavily. But, in a good way – like I could bear all of the burdens in the world, no problem._

_I walked out of the room, turned left and walked down the steps. The roar from the plaza below was deafening, but not so much that I couldn't hear the pounding of my own heart. I reached another platform, and turned to my right, to face another staircase._

_Below that was another platform, with more stairs leading down to the plaza, and a second set of stair leading up and away from me._

_A figure stood motionless at the top of those stairs. She too wore imperial robes, but hers were dark red with long pink sleeves and a gold obi. A smaller gold crown sat atop her dark brown hair, and a pink veil hid her eyes. At her throat was a yin-yang pendant attached to a red ribbon, just above a white scar. A black dragon ring with glowing ruby red eyes was wound around the fourth finger of _her_ left hand._

_I couldn't see her face through the veil, but I didn't have to. I knew, with every sense in my body, that this was the woman I loved. The woman I wanted to be with._

_No length of time would be long enough to spend with her…could we start with forever?_

_We walked down the steps towards each other, and it was all I could do to not take the stairs three at a time, or just jump straight down onto the platform._

_We reached the centre platform, where my Uncle Iroh waited for us. He smiled warmly, his golden eyes twinkling in a way that told me he was happy this day had finally come. I knew exactly how he felt – I was happy, too._

_In my Uncle's hands was a golden cup – The Golden Cup Of Unity, in fact. I looked at it, and then glanced out at the crowd._

_At the foot of the stairs leading out into the plaza, twelve people stood waiting, six on either side. I recognized ten of them – on my side there were two __Earth__Kingdom__ men, two Water Tribe men, and an Air Nomad. On the other side were one Water Tribe girl, two __Earth__Kingdom__ girls and two Fire Nation girls. I didn't recognize the tall girl with long dark hair and a tattoo on her back, nor did I know whom the good-looking brown-haired boy with blue eyes was. The girls wore robes similar to my beloved, though theirs had plain red sleeves and no gold obi, and no crowns or veils. The girl I didn't recognize had gold leading up from her sleeves, though. The boys had robes similar to mine, but without the dragons on the back, and no crowns. The boy I didn't recognize had black on the lining of his robes, however. This made him my best man, I supposed, and the tattooed girl was my beloved's maid of honour…_

_All of them were smiling. I looked out into the crowd, and saw more smiles, from benders and non-benders, Priestesses, family and friends. Overhead, the sky was a beautiful red and pink sunset, and gold leaves fell to the ground from some unknown place…_

_I turned to face the lady I loved again, and smiled as we entwined our hands around the golden cup. The dragon rings on our hands seemed to come to life then, and snaked up around the cup, peering into the clear liquid in there._

_In protection and in chaos…_

_In freedom and in restriction…_

_In strength and in weakness…_

_In love and in hatred…_

_In patience and in cruelty…_

_In life and in death…_

_My beloved and I leaned over to look into the cup and, as we did, the liquid ran blood red and, when I caught sight of my reflection, I was not myself anymore. My scar had disappeared, and I had become the face of the man I no longer wished to call my Father._

_"You cannot escape it!" A voice hissed from within the goblet…the voice of a demon. "He is a part of you, and soon you will be just like him!" She vowed. "Neither of you understand!"_

_I glanced back up at my beloved, who looked at me questioningly from beneath her veil. Then, her eyes widened in fear, and she backed away from me. The cup clattered to the ground, spilling its red liquid everywhere._

_I looked at my Uncle, who said simply: "She does not know you." Then, he collapsed to the ground._

_"Uncle!" I cried, and then looked back at my beloved. "Please, you have to remember me!" I grabbed her hands. _

_Out of the crowd, the Priestesses marched, one-by-one their blood red robes turned black as pitch._

_"You do not understand, but we do!" They said in unison, their voices perfectly matched. "We can make him understand!"_

_I heard my beloved's scream just then, but was helpless to do anything, as she was torn from my grasp, and the choker was wrenched from around her neck. As it clattered to the ground, my insides were scorched with flames, as my beloved was thrown through the fires of the Underworld, into the waiting, terrible embrace of my Father, who had the golden wings of the Phoenix King…_

_O~O~O~O_

I woke up suddenly, breathing heavily and sweating in the early morning sunlight that was streaming in through the window.

I put a hand to my forehead, and closed my eyes briefly but, when I did, all I could see was _her_ face again, streaked with tears and trembling at the sight of me, because she didn't remember me.

I shook my head, and opened my eyes again.

"It was just a dream." I told myself firmly. "It wasn't real. None of it was…"

That was something that upset me. Not all of it, just that the first part wasn't real. I'd been having similar dreams ever since that day…the day when my beloved had been taken from me.

The day I lost Emma.

Even now, six months later, I was still feeling the effects of everything that had happened. Sometimes, it had _all_ seemed like just a dream – starting out on my journey, hunting for the Avatar, meeting Emma, defying my Father and helping the Avatar save the world…then, becoming Fire Lord.

It all seemed so…_unreal_. It was unexplainable…

There had been a lot of bad times, but good times, too.

Bad times had included hunting down the Avatar and getting thoroughly beaten by him and his friends; feeling like a failure in the eyes of my family; Emma deciding to go a separate way in life from me…

Good times had made those bad times all worthwhile, though, like drinking tea and laughing with all of my friends; practicing bending and training to be strong; all those moments just spent talking with Emma…

I sighed. I could still picture her so clearly – short of stature, with lightly tanned skin and hazel eyes. Three earrings in each ear. Scars on her throat and stomach. Her dark brown hair had once been very long, until she'd cut it in an act of defiance against my Father. She usually had Yang-Chong, her phoenix, with her.

Come to think of it, he'd been absent in this dream, but quite often he was there, sometimes with Emma, and sometimes with two women whom looked quite like Emma. One was my Mother, and one I guessed was Emma's Mother, Gaye…her Father, William, had been there too…could the girl with the tattoo be her sister?

I'd been having these same dreams for six months now, all of them started out similar, but then ended pretty much the same – with me losing Emma all over again.

Often, I yelled in my dream, asking whoever was doing this to stop, and sometimes the demonic voice would reply, saying that the dreams would not stop until I understood.

Understood _what_?

I was exhausted from all of this, but nobody had been able to offer me any guidance. My Uncle didn't know what was going on, and neither did anyone else I was close to. I wished, more than ever, that my Mother was here.

I could sure use her advice right now.

Thinking that this was a fine state for the Fire Lord to be in right now, I got up and, almost immediately, the servants were at my side, along with my advisor…

_O~O~O~O_

My advisor's name is Mai. She is one of two childhood best friends of my younger sister, Azula. I've known her all of my life, and we had even dated for a little while, back when my life was so messed up I didn't know _what_ I wanted. Mai hadn't gotten along with Emma for a long time but, now, it seemed, she was just happy to be my advisor, and I was happy to let her. She was very calm and rational about things, although she hated pretty much everyone and everything. Still, she was a good person, nonetheless…

Mai had been born into one of the richest families in the Fire Nation, and seemed to know exactly how a member of high society needed to live their life. I suspect she gets that from her Mother. Anyway, one of the things she did best was to organize my extremely hectic life as the ruler of an entire nation and, for that, I was grateful.

"Okay," Mai said, walking beside me and holding a stiff piece of scroll, on which was written my day-plan. "Today, you have a fairly loose schedule – you're supposed to sit for the court-painter after breakfast…you keep putting that off, but you can't do that anymore!" She added sternly, shaking her head and making the low-hanging pigtails of her ox-horns hairstyle swing. "Then, you have lunch with the representatives from the Northern Water Tribe, followed by afternoon tea with Lo and Li, and then you're free until this evening."

"What's this evening?" I asked, completely forgetting (lack of sleep does that to you).

Mai tapped me lightly on the head with her scroll-board. "Azula and I are going to visit your Uncle in Ba Sing Se – our boat leaves tonight." She reminded me, and I remembered then – they'd been planning this trip for weeks.

"Oh, right, of course." I replied sheepishly, as we came to the heavy wooden doors that led into the large dining room of the Fire Nation palace.

Mai turned to face me. "Are you going to be alright while I'm away, or am I going to come back and find the palace in ruins?" She asked me, only half joking (another side to Mai that's slowly starting to emerge).

I nodded. "Of course – what could go wrong in a week?" I asked her.

The sound of running footsteps could be heard just then, and a frantic-looking palace attendant came scurrying up to me. "A thousand apologies, Milord!" He panted. "But there's a situation at the front gates! The shipment of foreign bee-hives arrived at the same time as the animal show from the Sun Yat-Sen Circus! The gopher-bears are eating all the honey, and the bees are swarming out into the city!"

I just stared at him.

Mai sighed. "I'll take care of this." She gave me an 'I told you so' look, and followed the attendant down the hall.

I watched them go, and shook my head in disbelief. Could I really run this country by myself?

The mention of the Sun Yat-Sen Circus stirred mixed feelings within me. On the one hand, they'd captured Emma and forced her to work for them many months ago. On the _other_ hand, they were the friends of Ty-Lee, Azula and Mai's best friend. I wondered where the spirited acrobat was right now…she'd said something about training with our friend Suki, and their fellow Kyoshi Warriors, back onKyoshiIsland. Ty-Lee had never been there before, and had been excited about making the trip…

_O~O~O~O_

Thanks to the bears and the bees, I managed to Mai and the court-painter, and instead went to the library, where I found Zhu pouring over a collection of ancient scrolls.

She didn't notice me until I was right behind her, and then she jumped. "Oh, Zuko, I didn't hear you come in…" She said, by way of apology. "Don't you have a sitting with the court-painter this morning?"

I shook my head. "I want to do the sitting when I've at leats had a solid night's sleep…what about you, Zhu? You seem…" I searched for the right word. "_Stressed_." I took a look at the golden-haired woman, who had been a friend of my parents. There were dark circles under her amber eyes, and she was pale.

Zhu sighed. "I guess I am a little bit, Milord," She smiled faintly. "I've been having troubling dreams lately…ones that I can't quite seem to work out."

I nodded. "I know _exactly_ what you mean." I told her.

Zhu regarded me carefully. "You must tell me about these dreams, Zuko." She said, glancing at the scroll in front of her, which depicted the sun and the moon. "I fear that, somehow, the winds of change are set to occur, but whether or not it is for better or worse…" She cast her eyes downwards. "I do not know."

Being a Priestess, I guessed that Zhu was in-tune with certain things that were happening. Her element was the sun, which was the source of life. She was also a distant relative of mine, a fact which not many people knew – her grandfather was _my_ great-grandfather Sozin, which I supposed made her kind of like my aunt or something. Aunty Zhu. "You're starting to sound like my Uncle." I informed her. I quoted: "Change is like a strong cup of tea – bitter, but beneficial."

Zhu smiled fully then, even laughing a little. "He is very influential, that cousin of mine." She said quietly. "I am sure he too would be interested to hear about these dreams that you are having…are they about a certain young lady, perhaps?" She asked me, looking straight at me then.

I gulped, and nodded. "I…I can't stop thinking about her." I admitted.

Zhu nodded understandingly. "You must tell me about these dreams. And, write to Iroh – give the letter to your sister to take with her this evening." She added.

I didn't need to ask how Zhu knew my sister was going to see our Uncle. Zhu and Azula are very close. I nodded. "I will write him a letter." I said, even though I had no idea how I was going to write the thing.

I wished I could go and see him, but…being Fire Lord had its downfalls…

_O~O~O~O_

That afternoon, when it was time for lunch, Mai tracked me down and gave me an earful (complete with ear-cuffing) for skipping out on the painting again. She accompanied me to my room, where she oversaw the attendants putting on my robes. I was to be meeting with the representatives from the Northern Water Tribe that afternoon – the chief Arnook and a representative from the army.

The thought of the Water Tribe reminded me of my friends from the Southern Water Tribe. Katara and Sokka were siblings, a younger sister and an older brother, much like Azula and I. They got along better than Azula and I ever had but, somehow, Azula and I were starting to get along again.

That was probably because of Emma's sacrifice.

In an attempt to stop myself from becoming depressed, I thought about the Water Tribe siblings. Sokka had become a good friend of mine, he knew what it was like to be an older brother, he was a good leader, and he had a good sense of humour. Katara was a strong-willed Waterbender. She had hated me and my people because her Mother had been killed in a raid, but eventually she'd forgiven me, and I'd become friends with the protective and caring girl. She and Sokka had returned to their South Pole home, to spend some time with their Gran-Gran, whom had just remarried an old flame, a Waetrbending Master named Pakku. Then, I think they were going to split up for awhile and travel to different places. Sokka was going to Kyoshi to see Suki, his girlfriend, and Katara was going to spend some time with Aang, her boyfriend. They'd all promised to visit as soon as they could, though…

I had to force myself not to get sad, reminiscing on the old days. I thought about what Toph Bei Fong would do if she saw me getting 'misty-eyed'…not that she could see. She'd probably Earthbend me into the ground, and then lecture me about being a man. Toph and another of our Earthbending friends, Haru, had gone back to the Bei Fong's mansion…Toph was going to introduce Haru to her parents! Considering what I'd been told about Toph's strict upbringing, I'd wished him luck…

I wondered how I would react, when Azula eventually brought home a boyfriend. Then again, she'd probably Firebend me into the next millennium if I didn't accept him!

My sister had changed an awful lot in the past six months. She'd been through a lot, what with Dad's incarceration and the entire war coming to an end. She had been regularly seeing a counsellor who preferred to think of herself as my sister's 'friend'.

Azula's comment had been that she had no friends, only servants.

But, that was a lie and we both knew it. Thanks to Emma's healing, Azula no longer saw the need to manipulate and scare people into doing what she wanted them to do. She was learning how to be a better person, and how to treat people better.

She was still Azula, however and, for her, that meant that she was still stubborn, powerful and used to getting her own way. She still possessed her brilliant mind and flawless ability to lie perfectly, but without that 'border-lines-on-insane' edge she'd had before our Father's downfall.

Katara and I had been with her when Emma had given up her life energy to save us. Katara had been the one to tell everyone what had happened and, with her help, they'd accepted Azula's change far more quickly than anticipated.

Azula seemed to feel guilty about being the cause of Emma's…no longer being here (I refused to think of her as the 'D' word), and I think she was trying to make up for that. Her issues of abandonment meant that it was me she was most afraid of losing (as her new 'friend' had said), since I'd been the closest to Emma.

Azula _still_ didn't understand this, however: I was never going to leave her, since we were all each other had left.

Mother had always said this day would come…

_O~O~O~O_

Azula looked at me across the table and I could just _tell_, from the strained look in her amber eyes, that she wanted to say something to the Northern Water Tribe army representative, but she was being a good girl and holding her tongue. I understood. I'd actually had to _bite_ mine, in order to keep from yelling at him.

Chief Arnook was tall, kind and proud, and had a dark hair with a moustache in the shape of a crescent moon, complete with hair-loopies that kept making me think of Katara. He was wearing what Azula said were the traditional robes of the Northern Water Tribe – I hadn't been paying much attention last time I was up there, but Azula knew her fashions without actually having gone to these places.

Arnook was accompanied by Hahn, whom was the youngest leader of the Northern Water Tribe soldiers ever. How did we know this? Easy – Hahn told us, whilst running a hand through his shiny dark hair, in a way that reminded me instantly of the two teenagers from EmberIsland(the ones whose house we wrecked). I could tell that Azula made the connection too, because she cringed, and edged away from Hahn a little. He took no notice of her, and continued telling me his whole entire life-story. This included beginning his warrior training before he could even walk, and even his engagement to the beautiful Princess Yue whom, sadly, passed away during the Fire Nation's siege of the North Pole, which he _absolutely_ did not blame me for, and he hoped that ushering in this new era of peace would benefit not only the Fire Nation, but the North Pole as well.

Well, the siege of the North Pole and Yue's death _were_ our fault, but probably more Admiral Zhao's than anybody else's. After all, he'd been the one who'd killed the former Moon Spirit, forcing Yue to give up her life and restore the moon to its rightful place. Zhao's own downfall had been caused by his avarice and his arrogance.

Hahn took arrogant to a whole new level.

Also, he seemed to be completely ignoring my sister, which I could tell did _not_ impress her. From what I'd heard, women were treated very differently in the Northern Water Tribe, worse than anywhere else in the world. They weren't even allowed to become soldiers!

That was why the Fire Nation army had won countless battles during the war, because our women were more easily able to blend into different societies and nobody was expecting that, but I couldn't remind Azula of that right now.

So, I just sat there and nodded a lot, and hoped that my sister would keep her temper.

Somehow, both of us were able to keep our tempers, even when, at the very end of the meal, Hahn finally addressed my sister.

"Princess Azula?" He turned to her with a big, quite arrogant, smile.

"Yes?" She asked. Her own smile was strained. I could see her fist clenching and unclenching in her lap. I put my hand over her hand, briefly. Her golden eyes flashed towards me for a second, before focusing on Hahn's blue ones.

"Your beauty and status are almost on par with Princess Yue's," Hahn said. "I think we should…get to know each other."

Azula froze. I could see the cogs turning in her head, as she came up with a number of retaliations that would probably get us both in trouble.

So, to save things, I said, loudly: "Ah, Chief Arnook, Hahn – now that lunch is over, would you like for me to show you the gallery of portraits of our former Fire Lords?"

"Of course, Fire Lord Zuko." Chief Arnook smiled.

"What about your sister?" Hahn wanted to know.

I smiled. "The Princess Azula has a flower-arranging class that she must attend right now. I'm sure you understand."

Both Arnook and Hahn nodded knowingly but, if looks could kill, I would have fallen dead under Azula's lethal gaze!

"I'm going to _get_ you for that, Zuzu." She hissed, unheard by the Water Tribe representatives.

"All's fair in love and war, _Lulu_." I replied, even though we weren't at war anymore.

Thank the spirits. Despite everything, it was interesting getting to know people from other nations.

I just hoped everyone else in the Fire Nation saw it that way, too.

_O~O~O~O_

That evening, as the sky turned a golden orange, I walked with Azula and Mai down to the docks, where their ship was getting ready to set sail.

"Now," Mai was saying, in her usual monotone but sounding firm nonetheless. "You have six meetings lined up for next week, and _two_ of them are on Tuesday – _don't_ forget that! Then, you have a wine and honey-tasting session with the generals and their girlfriends on Wednesday, so don't get drunk…what else? Saturday night's Prison-Wall Erosion Awareness Meeting has been moved to Friday morning instead, to make room for your circus excursion on Saturday evening. Oh, and Thursday morning I've rescheduled your sitting with the court-painter, and if you _don't_ do it I am going to stick a stiletto in your…"

"Mai, Mai," I interrupted her, taking her by the shoulders and shaking her gently. "Calm down, okay? I'll be fine, I've got your list, remember?" She'd given me the three foot long list, and it was back up at the palace.

Mai looked at me, and then sighed. "Okay, _fine_, but _don't_ blame me when things go wrong, okay, Zuko?"

"Relax, Mai," Azula said finally, smirking at me. She was standing on the docks, dressed in full Fire Nation Princess Garb. "Zuzu's a big boy now, he can take care of himself – I'm sure he won't need to know _flower-arranging_ in order to run a country." She added.

"Unless it keeps the foreign bees at bay, dear sister." I replied swiftly, and she frowned.

"Come on, Mai, let's go." She grabbed Mai's hand and dragged her towards the gangplank.

"Wait!" I called, and reached into the pocket of my robes, pulling it a scroll folded and sealed. I handed it to Azula.

"What's this?" She asked me, taking it.

"A letter for Uncle. Please give it to him." I replied, and she nodded. I knew that she would give the letter straight to Uncle when she saw him.

I watched as my sister and her friend walked up the gangplank, and onto the ship, which set sail almost immediately after.

Many people had come to see the Princess and the Royal Advisor off on their trip to theEarthKingdom.

I watched as, on deck, Azula leaned over and whispered something to Mai, who shook her head. Azula put her hands on her hips and gave Mai a Look.

Mai sighed. She walked up to the railing of the ship, and called out: "Zuko, Azula wishes to remind you to change your underwear every day!"

I _know_ I blushed just then, as the people on the dock weren't sure whether or not to laugh.

Azula gave me a grin that said 'I win' and I thought: _You may've won the battle, sister, but I'll win the war…_

_O~O~O~O_

As I walked back up to the palace later that evening, I found myself thinking that running a country was harder work than I'd ever imagined it would be, and I wondered how my Father had ever done it alone?

Even the Avatar had had a woman standing behind him, guiding him forwards. Although, if you called Katara 'the Avatar's woman', she'd probably hit you. I wondered if Aang and Katara were missing each other right now, and then chided myself for even having to wonder. Of _course_ they did.

Aang had decided to go back to theNorthernAirTemplewith Teo, before beginning a journey to the other three Air Temples. He'd said that the Air Temples held many secrets…and, he'd kind of given me a meaningful look when he'd said that, but I wasn't really sure why.

As I walked, I looked at the Dragon Ring on my hand. Around my neck, on a chain, I wore the Dragon Ring that belonged to Emma. They felt like they _should_ be kept together, but it also felt empty, somehow.

As I was looking at the white one, his blue eyes blinked and then flashed quickly, and his mouth opened quickly in a silent roar.

I looked around me sharply, but couldn't see anyone.

What had that been? I looked back at Dragon Ring, who now lay dormant and un-blinking. I was _sure_ I'd seen his eyes flash, and then he'd moved, but I wasn't sure. It had seemed like a warning, though…

I was walking past the old villas where we'd lived before Dad became Fire Lord. There was a statue here, where Azula, Mai, Ty-Lee and I used to go there on the last full moon of the seventh month, and tell scary stories. Last time, Emma had been with us, and had been scared out of her wit by thoughts of evil statues and cursed dolls. I _still_ didn't believe in any of that sort of thing, even when I thought I saw a girl running through the dark trees.

My mind was playing tricks on me. One thought of Emma, and I was hallucinating already.

What kind of a Fire Lord _was_ I, anyway?

_O~O~O~O_

**Nobody's P.O.V:**

The young woman ran through the trees, hoping that the Fire Lord had not seen her. She reached the meeting point and, instantly, a young man dropped out of the trees, walking soundlessly towards her.

"The Fire Princess has left for theEarthKingdomcapital." The girl wore long dark red robes, and a gold head-piece. Her dark brown hair was tied back in two coiled braids that stuck out behind her head, and her eyes were a strange mix between red and gold. "Her brother's Advisor has left also."

"Excellent news, Meng," the young man had brown green eyes, and shoulder-length dark brown hair tied up in ponytail. "Now, there is just one last thing to take care of."

"Yes, Di Ren." Meng nodded. "However, this is a job for Hsuing and Shakol to deal with. Ba Sing Se is their jurisdiction. I have already sent out a messenger hawk."

"Yes," Di Ren nodded. He smiled thoughtfully. "Ba Sing Se…or, would it be rather known as _Na_ Sing Se?" He chuckled at this, and Meng joined in, before they both faded away into the night…

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

**A.N:**

**Did everybody enjoy the first chapter? Updates may be a little slow…in five weeks, I'm going back to ****Bali****! I haven't been there in about six or seven years, so this'll be good! I'll try to update, though!**


	2. The Winds Of Change

AVATAR

Legend Of The Dragon Hearts

_Sequel to The Young Lady Of Legends. Rebels seek to restore Ozai to power, and need a certain Priestess named Emma. She has no idea the rebels are hunting her, but will Zuko - her soul-mate - let them do it? And will he be with his Emma at last? ZxOC_

___O~O~O~O_

**A.N.: Hey, did everybody watch The Legend Of Korra? What did you think?**

**"I'm the Avatar, and you all gotta deal with it!" XD**

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER TWO

The Winds Of Change

_O~O~O~O_

_"Wait!" I called, and reached into the pocket of my robes, pulling it a scroll folded and sealed. I handed it to Azula._

_"What's this?" She asked me, taking it._

_"A letter for Uncle. Please give it to him." I replied, and she nodded. I knew that she would give the letter straight to Uncle when she saw him._

_I watched as my sister and her friend walked up the gangplank, and onto the ship, which set sail almost immediately after._

_O~O~O~O_

**Azula's Diary:**

_As I stand on the deck of the ship, right at the bow, and stare out at the horizon we are heading towards, I can't help but take a moment to write in this thing…what am I supposed to write, anyway? We have been at sea for a full day now, and will be reaching the rendezvous point for the airship that will take us to Ba Sing Se. Thanks to the wonders of lighter-than-air travel; it's only going to take us another day to get there, whereas by sea it would take a fortnight. Just another advance in technology, I guess._

_At least we aren't using technology for war, anymore. It seems that everything I see is a reminder of the kind of person I used to be. I don't know if I still _am_ that person or even if I'm going to be able to change…I guess I should just wait and see…but, I'm not terribly patient…just ask my family (or anybody else, for that matter)…_

_In my pocket is the letter my brother wrote to our Uncle Iroh. I wonder what it says. Part of me is tempted to read it, but I am still trying to gain back both my brother's and Uncle's trust, and so I think I'll leave the letter as is. Who knows, maybe Uncle will let me read it afterwards? Unless it's something weird, like something Zuko should be talking to Dad about, but Uncle will have to do, since Dad was in prison. I'm still not sure how I feel about this._

_Sometimes I wish Mum was here._

_I don't know why, but it's like I've only just realised how empty it feels without Mum. I know that she always liked Zuko best, but I guess some part of me always hopes that she loved me too._

_People are always saying that all parents love their kids…but, sometimes I'm not sure they're right. After everything I've been through, I'm yet to see that._

_Umm, Azula out? How do I end this thing? Why am I even writing in it? Aurgh…_

_O~O~O~O_

**Azula's P.O.V:**

"Milady, we are about half a day away from Ba Sing Se." The airship's captain, Han-Sei, told me, a day after I'd made my journal entry.

"Thank…you…" I said, nodding to him. "Umm…and, good job, you know…? Flying us through that storm just now…yeah…"

"You're welcome," Han-Sei replied, sounding just as awkward as I felt. "I mean…thank you…uh…" He rubbed the back of his head with his hand.

I sighed. Being nice was…not easy. This was one of those times I wanted to 'relapse', as Lui-San would put it, but I resisted the urge to fall back into old habits, and just smiled and said: "Keep up the good work!" I left the control room very quickly after that.

Once outside, I leaned over the railing, and glanced at the storm clouds behind us. A slight breeze ruffled the sides of my fringe I kept loose, and I frowned. Why did I feel like the storm we were leaving behind wasn't over yet?

_O~O~O~O_

"Do you know what Ty-Lee would say if she were here?" I asked Mai, as we sat in the train. It was the following day, and we were heading into the Upper-Ring of Ba Sing Se.

Mai gave me a half-smile. "What would she say?" She already knew.

In unison, we both said, in a perfect imitation of our other best friend: "Doesn't this place just bring back great memories? !" We smiled at each other.

I added: "If by memories she means dressing up as the Kyoshi Warriors and taking over the city…"

"And getting to play with a giant brown bear." Mai added.

"I find it strange that it's just…a bear." I admitted. "I mean, that's completely exotic…"

"Other-worldly." Mai agreed.

We looked out the window at the Middle-Ring of Ba Sing Se.

"Thank goodness I'm more grown-up now." I muttered, seeing signs of the city still in need of repair. I thought about the Crystal Catacombs beneath the city, where the turning point in our battle had taken place. I could still remember the way Zuko and I had turned against Uncle, and how I'd shot Aang fatally with lightning. I could still see the tears in Katara's eyes, and hear Emma's scream as she failed to protect her friends…

Mai looked at me, but didn't say anything. I knew she was thinking about that time too, though…

But, probably for a different reason. I wasn't entirely sure she had gotten over my brother just yet…we both knew that this was still an edgy topic, though. The old me would've probably given her grief about it which, if I remembered correctly, I _had_ done in the past.

Emma was still a topic none of us actually talked about, not even when my brother wasn't around. In fact, I hadn't heard him mention her at all, although apparently for one time he'd, very calmly, said that a drawing of Emma was shorter than she was in real life.

I didn't know how to react to what Zuko was going through, so I thought it best to just ignore the little voice inside of me that told me that it was all my fault…

_O~O~O~O_

**Iroh's P.O.V:**

"We need some more Ginseng tea at table eight!"

"This tea is simply delicious!"

"That will be three gold coins, please."

"The kid at table three's throwing pots again!"

"Can I get some more Jasmine tea, please?"

"Have you been here before?"

"No, but I'm definitely coming back!"

"Please wait a moment, and I'll find you a table."

"That won't be necessary."

"More tea, please!"

Ah, this was music to my ears. I walked out of the kitchens, and handed a tray of Ginseng tea to one of my assistants, who scurried off to table eight.

I had worked very hard on the day of Sozin's Comet to take back Ba Sing Se, and reclaim my beloved tea shop. I was fully intending to spend my retirement serving tea and playing Pai-Sho, preferably in that order. I was quite content to stay in theEarthKingdom– I liked it here, and it was peaceful. During the war, things I'd really sought were my daily peace, and a place to call home. Thanks to my nephew; his soul-mate and the Avatar, I was finally able to achieve those things. If only my nephew's soul-mate had not been lost, then all would be perfect.

I often spoke to Karai about these things, when she came in to see me and have a cup of tea, and she and Jee would try (and fail) to defeat me at Pai-Sho). Kai, her children, her Uncle Jee, and the other former members of Zuko's crew, had moved back to Ba Sing Se with Tai-Lung, Jin and Aiguo.

Jin had moved to the Upper-Ring of Ba Sing Se with Aiguo and Tai-Lung, the latter whom had made it his top priority to do something about the state of the city. He had started with reforming the Dai-Li, which now acted more as police officers, and was closely monitored by Tai-Lung – their new leader.

Kai had decided to come and visit me by herself today, and was sitting on one of the counters, watching the customers and commenting to me on my lack of sleep.

"You have dark circles under your eyes that make you look like Hei Bai." She accused me, her brilliant scarlet eyes piercing into me. "_I'm_ the one with twins under seven months, and _you_ are lacking in sleep – something is _seriously_ wrong with this picture, Iroh." She took a sip of her tea.

I chuckled. "Somehow, I don't think Aima and Jet would keep you awake at night, Kai. They are such little _angels_." They really were – children are so adorable at the age they were at!

Kai nearly choked on her tea. "Huh, yeah right – maybe angels with _black_ wings." She shook her head. "At least they're not old enough to bend, yet…"

"Have they showed signs of being benders yet?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Mmhmm. Even if they _hadn't_, I'd've known it anyway. It's in their blood to be powerful Firebenders." She looked away, and I understood what she meant. I wisely decided not to press the subject any further, but I noticed the warm way with which Kai spoke of her twins, and I smiled.

Shakol, one of the charming young ladies who works at the front door, approached me. "Sir, your niece and her friend have arrived." The Northern Water Tribe-born woman smiled, her sea-blue eyes sparkling.

I looked past Shakol, and saw Azula and Mai standing at the front of the Jasmine Dragon, Azula looking slightly mystified by the atmosphere, and Mai wearing her trademark 'I-don't-care' look.

I smiled even wider, and went to greet them.

_O~O~O~O_

**Azula's P.O.V:**

I looked up, and had to bite back a gasp. _What is that…? ! That…hideous thing…is headed right for me! Oh, wait, it's just Uncle…_

I allowed myself to be hugged by him, as did Mai, and she glanced at me over Uncle's shoulder. Her eyes narrowed.

I nodded. "Uncle, _what_ are you _wearing_?" I asked him.

Uncle drew back from Mai, and held out his arms, showing off his new purple and lilac robes, complete with a strange-looking hat. "Do you like it? It's the latest rage in Omashu at the moment!"

It was?

Mai and I exchanged a glance. We weren't sure what to say to this but, just then, a new voice said: "It looks absolutely _hideous_, doesn't it?"

Mai and I peered past Uncle, to see a very short Fire Nation girl with her hands on her hips, though she was smiling. Her ruby eyes sparkled.

Uncle turned around, with a wounded expression on her face. "Oh, Kai, how could you say that, after Omashu's King _himself_ approved of it?"

Ah-ha…

Kai shrugged. "He's not _my_ King – I _have_ no King." She added, and then smiled at Mai andI. "Welcome back to insanity, Azula." She added. "You too, Mai."

I smiled back at her, appreciating that she felt comfortable enough to make digs at my sanity. "Glad to join you in it, Kai."

"It's my first time." Mai said with a completely straight face.

"Costumes are optional." Kai replied, seriously.

I looked at Uncle, who still looked hurt. I sighed. "Oh, Uncle, you look _fine_. How about you teach me how to make that special blend of tea?" I suggested.

"Well…" Uncle brightened. "It's supposed to be a _secret_, but you _are_ family, after all!"

_O~O~O~O_

Later that day, I was sitting out on the balcony with Uncle Iroh, who had just defeated me at Pai-Sho for the eighth time. I was never going to make it into the Order Of The White Lotus. Apparently, it was good for me to lose at something.

Mai had gone shopping with Kai and Jin, but I thought that now was the perfect time to give Uncle the letter from Zuko.

Uncle opened the letter, and read it silently. I watched his face carefully, and saw when he started to look worried. He finished reading, and rolled the scroll back up. He placed it on the table in front of us, and poured some more tea.

"So, Azula, how are things back home?" Uncle wanted to know.

I shrugged. "They're okay, I guess…I'm learning how to be a better person, Zuko's learning how to run a country. Neither of us is sure what to expect…I mean, Zuko's only _sixteen_, and he thinks he can do a better job as Fire Lord than Dad?" I stopped, and clapped a hand over my mouth. "Wait, let me rephrase that…" Uncle waited patiently, always with the endless calm that he seems to have. "Okay, what I _mean_, is that…I think Zuko's doing too much by himself. Mai's _trying_ to help him, but he doesn't seem to accept her help as much as he should. The Avatar is _supposed_ to be helping him, but he's gone off somewhere for some reason. I don't know and I don't care." I sat back and crossed my arms. "I don't think Zuko's _supposed_ to do this on his own…I think there's a reason the Fire _Lord's_ supposed to have a Fire _Lady_…" I trailed off, and muttered: "Sometimes I wish he'd just fall back in love with Mai, then they'd _both_ be happy…"

I didn't realise Uncle had heard me, until he cleared his throat and said: "Love is a complicated emotion, Azula. When you love someone, it causes you to do things you wouldn't normally do. Take your Mother, for example…" I looked at him. "Ursa's actions on the night of my Father's death were quite out of character for her." I had never heard Uncle speak about this before, and I was suddenly fascinated to know more. "But, she did it out of love, not just for Zuko but for you as well. The trauma it would have caused you…you cannot _begin_ to comprehend, Azula." Uncle said gravely.

I nodded silently, trying to absorb this information.

"There are many different kinds of love." Uncle went on. "There is love for family, and love for friends. There is love for your nation, or for your home. There is my love for tea." He smiled, but then went on with: "And, there is perhaps the most _dangerous_ love of all – romance. To fall in love with somebody is both thrilling and terrifying. It's when your life is intertwined with someone else's for all eternity. Falling _out_ of love is a very hard thing to do, and _losing_ somebody you love is just as hard." He sighed. "When I lost my wife and my son, I realised the importance of holding on to what was important in life. Sometimes you can, and sometimes you can't…" He looked away into the distance.

"Uncle, does all this have to do with Zuko's letter?" I asked him, wondering how the topic of conversation had got on to this. Oh, right, I'd suggested Zuko should marry Mai…

Uncle blinked, like he'd just come out of a deep sleep. He said: "I don't know, Azula. Maybe it has everything to do with it, and maybe nothing at all."

I groaned. "_Spare_ me the proverbs, Uncle. I know that Zuko hasn't gotten over Emma yet."

Uncle nodded. "That is completely true, Azula. Zuko's heart has been broken, and it will take him a long time to heal from it."

"It's not a good state for our leader to be in." I pointed out.

"It was out of his control." Uncle replied smoothly.

I sighed. "Yes, control…if I hadn't lost it on that day…"

Uncle looked thoughtful. "Perhaps it I true, Azula…however, I believe that all of this was predetermined by a decision Emma made long ago…by coming into her full Priestess powers easily, she determined her own fate through that. She made her choice, and her choice was to save the people she loved – namely you and your brother." He smiled at me.

I allowed myself to smile back, a little. "Yes…I suppose…we're all free to choose our own fates…" I sighed again. "Sometimes I wish we'd both chosen a different one, though…"

_O~O~O~O_

**Iroh's P.O.V:**

_I stood on a hill, on a small island surrounded by the ocean. The sea surrounding the island was calm but, further in the distance and on all sides; the weather was turbulent and stormy._

_I stood my ground. I had been to this place many times before – every night it was the same dream._

_As I looked up, a bright light shone through the eye of the storm, and six shapes formed from the light, and began swimming in and out of the water. As usual, I couldn't make them out. I saw that they were all different colours, though – a blood-coloured red; deep blue; a forest green; yellow, like the sun; amethyst purple and black as pitch._

_The light was bright, and yet there was something familiar about it._

_Then, a voice I had not heard before, either in my dreams or in real life, said to me: "The six forms are the keys…"_

_The six forms are the keys? What did that mean…?_

_I knew two things were for certain, though. One, Zuko was having just as strange dreams as I was, and so too was Zhu. And two…_

_There was a storm coming…a big one…_

_Then, just as before, the dream faded away into a blur of colours…_

_O~O~O~O_

I awoke, to find that it was nightfall, and that I was alone on the balcony.

I chuckled softly. "I must have fallen asleep after my niece left, but…it was a very sweet nap…" I stretched, and then stood up.

Just then, I sensed movement on the roof above the balcony, but my instinct was to not react to it at first. Something was warning me, however, that danger was fast approaching.

I turned around quickly when somebody landed almost soundlessly on the balcony behind me, and lashed out with a lightning-fast punch that was easily caught. Whoever was suddenly attacking me was trained.

I jumped back, assessing the situation.

My attacker was a young man, probably in his twenties. He wasEarthKingdom, with short dark hair and light green eyes. I wasn't sure who he was…a former member of the rogue Dai-Li, maybe?

Just as I had made this assumption, something strange happened to my body – it was like I had suddenly lost the ability to move…no, that wasn't right. I _could_ move, but I was no longer in control of my movements.

A familiar voice from behind me said: "Do it now, Hsuing!"

The green-eyed attacker nodded, stepping forward quickly. I couldn't do anything to stop him when he sharply struck the back of my neck but, as I was blacking out, I heard him say: "Shakol, stay here and wait for _her_…"

"Of course." The Bloodbender replied.

_O~O~O~O_

**Karai's P.O.V:**

"What's for dinner tonight, Uncle Jee?" I asked, poking my head into the kitchen, where he and our cook, Jyoong, were busy putting ingredients into a large pot on the stove.

My Uncle turned to me with a smile. "Your favourite, Kai – Wasabi-Horseradish-Chilli-Pepper Curry."

I grinned. "Excellent – just make sure you've got enough normal chicken-rice for the kids." I reminded them. I know enough to know that it's better to slowly get your kids onto these sorts of things.

Jyoong nodded. "Did you want to go round up everyone?"

"Okay." I agreed, and turned around. "EVERYONE!" I yelled. "DINNER'S ALMOST READY!"

"Kai," My Uncle sighed. "Jyoong could have done that." In other words, he wanted me to actually _physically_ walk about and round everybody up.

I rolled my eyes, which are so much like his. "Understood, Sir!" I saluted, and went of in search of Jin; Aiguo; Tai-Lung; Ai; Dao-Ming; Smellerbee; Long-Shot; Daniu and the rest of what I now referred to as…my family…

For the twenty-three years of my life, I've never actually known what a family truly was. Now, what with Aima-Jee and Jet-Lee, and everyone else as well…I was starting to feel a little more secure in my life. All it had taken was a chance meeting with that complicated girl, Emma, whilst onboard Zhao's ship, and then my entire life changed, for better and for worse. It was amazing how many lives had been impacted by all this…by this…_world war_…

Just then, movement on the street outside the window caught my eye, and I leaned over to see a man carrying another man through the streets. _How_ the smaller man was able to carry the other man was anybody's guess, since the other man was quite a bit larger than him. He was old, and was wearing a set of purple and lilac robes…_familiar_ robes…

I narrowed my red eyes, unable to _believe_ what I was seeing.

Someone was kidnapping Iroh – how _dare_ they!

I hoisted myself up onto the window-sill, and then swung myself out. My Four-Flavour Curry was going to have to wait – it looks like the world war's not _quite_ over yet…

_O~O~O~O_

**Azula's P.O.V:**

Mai and I walked into the Jasmine Dragon, to find it uncharacteristically quiet. We exchanged a glance.

'Where's your Uncle?' Mai mouthed.

I shrugged, but narrowed my eyes. Neither one of us dared to speak – it was as if we were suddenly on guard, like we _knew_ something was about to happen.

Mai suddenly gasped, which was quite unusual for her, and perhaps it was _that_ which alerted me to something being wrong. Maybe _that's_ why I ducked out of the way, just as in time to avoid the cold, sharp steel of Mai's dagger.

I jumped back, and felt my heart pounding in my chest as I looked up at my best friend. "Mai, what are you _doing_? !" I hissed.

"It's not me!" Mai sounded slightly worried, which was when I realised that she really _wasn't_ doing this…well, she _was_, but… "Azula, I can't control this…somebody's controlling me!"

I dodged Mai's next flurry of attacks. "What? How is that…?" Just then, it hit me. No, not a stiletto (thank the spirits) but the answer. "Bloodbending…" Katara had told me about this, when I'd enquired whether she knew a prisoner named Hama. Bloodbending was the ability for strong Waterbenders to control people by bending their blood. It was sadistic and horrific, even by _my_ standards…and, somebody was using it on my best friend! I looked around, but couldn't see anybody. "Show yourself, Waterbender!" I ordered, blocking and then dodging as Mai was forced to attack me directly. I looked at her. "What do you want me to do, Mai?" I asked her quickly.

"If you need to knock me out, then I suggest you do it now." Mai replied, raising a particularly pointy-looking throwing star.

I nodded, and whoever was controlling her suddenly made her evade all my movements. "Stand still, Mai!" I exclaimed.

"I'm trying!" She said, impatiently.

"Well, you're obviously not trying hard enough!" I rolled my eyes. "Even _Katara_ had more inner-strength!"

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." Mai replied darkly.

I was finally able to jab her in the side of her neck, and she fell forwards, into my arms. As I laid her out on the carpet of the Jade Dragon, I looked up. My eyes darted around quickly, seeking the source of this attack. Who would be attacking me?

What was going on?

Just then, I realised that _I_ might be the next victim of this Bloodbending and, sure enough, I suddenly felt my body freeze up. I realised then and there what had made it so impossible for Mai to fight back, as I was forced to my knees, my head touching the carpet.

Feet walked towards me.

"My, my, my…" A familiar voice said. "You don't have to _bow_ to me, Azula…"

I gasped, feeling a mixture of confusion and anger welling up inside of me. I knew straight away who my attacker was. "Shakol?" She allowed me to raise my head and look at her. "What do you think you're _doing_?" I asked her.

Shakol was a tall Water Tribe woman with the body of a warrior, despite Northern Water Tribe women not being allowed to fight. She kept most of her dark brown hair short, with two bits of fringe on either side of her face, tied up twice.

She smirked at me. "It's not what I _think_ I'm doing, Azula…it's what I _know_ I am. Trust me, this is for the benefit of _everybody_…you'll see…"

"No, I won't…" I muttered, trying to dredge up every ounce of my inner-strength, in order to overcome this Bloodbending ability. I then felt the familiar powers of my Priestess abilities inside of me, welling up inside every muscle in my body. I let the energy flow over me, as my hands began to glow gold, and then I cried: "No, I _won't_!"

I was up in an instant, and kicked out, catching Shakol by surprise. My foot connected with her stomach, sending her flying into a wall. She was on her feet as quickly as I'd been, though, and lashed out with ice spears created from the water of the pond outside.

I dodged them all, and fought back with my blue fire, which she was able to somehow dodge.

"As I would have expected from the Fire Nation's Princess!" Shakol sounded, for some reason, highly impressed by this, even as she sent a barrage of water at me that I had to jump over and, she was waiting for me. "And, a Priestess at that! Only another Priestess could stand up to my Bloodbending!"

"What did you do with my Uncle?" I asked her angrily, pushing off from a wall behind me, and aiming for her with a fire-infused punch.

Shakol grabbed my wrist, and instantly redirected my flames, to set fire to Uncle's tea shop. That was when I realised that her hands were glowing dark red. She wrenched my arm behind me, and I felt it break. I cried out – a cry that was cut off by Shakol kneeing me in the stomach, very hard.

I doubled over as I fell, and landed hard on the edge surrounding the fountain, with blood on my mouth, and my arm twisted out at a horrific angle.

The flames from Uncle's tea shop were reflected in the waters, and that was when I remembered that Mai was still in the building…no! NO!

I tried to get up, but found myself un-physically restrained by Bloodbending again.

The last thing I heard before I blacked out was Shakol's voice saying: "Trust me, Azula…you'll thank us for this one day…"


End file.
